This blog is called Natural Religion, but it could easily be called Natural Spirituality. You, the reader, might even like that better. Sometimes the word religion causes an immediate adverse reaction. Religion brings up churches, dogma, restrictions, boring services, and unkind or unjust social policy. Spirituality doesn’t do that.
It has its own baggage, as do many religious words. It speaks to the power of spiritual and religious ideas and institutions that so many of them are trigger words for one group or another. We care about them, we fear them, and we are changed by them — so naturally, we feel strongly enough to be roused by them.
Plus, we cannot forget that they sometimes do damage.
For the word spirituality, the triggering baggage centers around the stereotypes (and only the stereotypes) of New Age religion. ‘Spiritual’ religion is often portrayed as low on specifics, unrealistic, and self-serving. This is where the expression ‘woo woo’ gets used along with a vigorous eye roll. You might imagine a Gweneth Paltrow-like figure in gauzy clothing and a beatific smile.
So what does spirituality mean outside of its stereotypes? Its simplest definition is ‘concerning the things of the spirit.’ It’s the word spirit that has various and evocative meanings. Spirit comes from the word for breath which came to describe anything that felt real but had no corporality or body. (In the 14th century, it also became a word in Alchemy that described a substance that could unite the fixed and the volatile elements as they worked to transform other metals into gold. Nice.)
When people use the phrase spiritual but not religious, it’s hard to know what they mean by the spiritual part of the phrase. The latter half, not religious, comes through loud and clear – they aren’t a part of any established religion. And, they probably are not interested in belonging to one anytime in the future.
But the first half, the Spirituality part, can mean so many different things in these post-modern times. You could be talking to someone who believes in a Biblically-based spirituality they want to interpret in their own way. They believe in Jesus Christ, just not the version they met in church.
Or – someone who believes in a supernatural realm where God or relatives sometimes speak to them. They aren’t interested in defining God through a religion’s lens; they experience it directly.
Or – someone who feels the green and animated world is a part of them. The life principle is holy, and that is enough. The sacred is everywhere (except, maybe not in church).
Or – but you get the idea. There’s a whole spectrum of what people mean. Often they are reluctant to draw a tight circle around their beliefs. They want them loose so they have more room to move around.
My definition of spirituality I stole from Brene Brown. Brene Brown is my favorite theologian (she is actually a research professor in Social Work and a mega best-selling author – but theology comes from many unlikely sources.). She found that people who were high-functioning (effective and well-liked) invariably were spiritual. Her definition is:
“Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning, and purpose to our lives.”
Her definition came out of her research conversations with high-functioning people about their motivations. She wasn’t asking them if they were spiritual; many of her subjects were in the business world, but she got a spiritual answer. It tickles me that she, in effect, crowd-sourced her definition of spirituality! So much of religion and spirituality is based on one charismatic person’s inspiration, but this definition is from the people.
Her crowdsourced definition works for people with many different belief systems. It's a simple formula, but it’s not simple-minded. Most religions fit – if not all the practitioners of those religions. Religious people are spiritual only if they believe that all of us are connected, and the connection is grounded in love and compassion. Many atheists and agnostics fit because belief in God isn’t the only unifying higher power. That power might be a devotion to the principle of justice, reverence for life, or the fellowship of humankind.
When I write about spirituality, I will be using Brene Brown’s generous definition. What is your definition of spirituality? I don’t mean for you to compete against Brene here. But if you are a ‘spiritual but not religious,’ how do you define your spirituality? What kind of ‘spiritual’ are you?